Midtown Kitchen
1693 S. Westnedge AvenueJ was super excited when the new supermarket was going in where Hardings used to be on Westnedge and Howard. It’s not close enough to us that we would shop there but it is close enough to where both of us work that we would be able to stop by if we saw a sale and we could make it a regular lunch spot if the deli was as good as it was hyped up to be.
The Midtown Fresh grocery store opened at the beginning of August. This was almost three years and a half years after Hardings closed in February of 2015. The grocery store is much smaller than Hardings was. Instead of using the entire building for one big supermarket, they’ve broken the building up in to several spaces which right now includes the grocery store and an Ace Hardware with other store fronts being finished up right now.
The grocery store is nice. It’s small, it’s clean, and it’s got a good selection. It’s a fantastic neighborhood grocery store, but the day I stopped in, I wasn’t looking for a deal on chicken. I was looking for lunch so I headed straight to the deli area known as Midtown Kitchen.
There’s a lot going on in this area and a lot to choose from. It was a little overwhelming at first because I didn’t know what I wanted and there was a lot to look at.
The deli case itself has more than just the typical salads that you can buy by the pound…although they do have those too. What’s unique is the sandwiches. They have a number of fresh made sandwiches in different sizes.
The deli also has a hot area which has a lot of fried foods. You can order chicken and fries by the piece here.
If you’re in a do-it-yourself kind of mood, there’s also a daily rotating hot bar. There were pizzas, tacos, and hamburgers on the day I was there. I actually missed this and decided on something else before I got here or I likely would have done this. The prices per pound is pretty on par with other places that do hot bars for lunch.
The other side of the hot bar has a salad bar. Again, prices pretty on-par with other salad bars around town. I didn’t really look at it because today wasn’t a salad day for me. There were too many other options on my first trip to Midtown Fresh.
There’s also a grab-n-go area that has pre-made salads and sandwiches if you’re in a hurry. I was not in a hurry but this is a great option on days when I just need to grab a sandwich and a bottle of Pepsi and eat in the car….it happens more often than I would like.
Desserts aren’t left out here. They actually have quite a few tasty treats from Victorian Bakery including this big, soft, chocolate chip cookies….but there is a lot more to choose from than just cookies.
What I ended up ordering was a ten piece of the Wing Zings. These breaded chicken wings come in mild or hot. I chose hot. I then grabbed a bottle of Pepsi at the cash register. The cost was just a little over $11.
The Wing Zings were nice and filling. They were super crispy and just a little spicy. It wasn’t a burn your mouth off kind of thing. I get chicken all the time from the Shell station on the corner of Westnedge and Michigan and my co-worker always makes fun of me for getting “gas station chicken.” This stuff from Midtown Fresh is really good and will provide a great alternative to the chicken I usually get.
Midtown Fresh is such a great addition to the Southside neighborhood. It’s nice to have any grocery store in your neighborhood but to have one like this is a real treat. The Midtown Kitchen part of the store is a little bit better than your average supermarket deli. They really put some thought and effort in to their daily offerings so you’re actually getting fresh, delicious food at a great price.
SW Michigan Dining 